Sunday, March 27, 2011

Duvel - Belgian Golden Ale

I think after I complete my Belgian Trappist beer review series, I will start a new series called "Stout Sundays". But today I have another Belgian beer, this is a rather popular one called "Duvel". The first time I tried this beer was at a Belgian Beer House in Melbourne Australia. Duvel by itself is not a Belgian Trappist beer, but in 1963 Duvel Moortgat started to produce Maredsous.

This beer is a very light yellow, and poured exactly like you would expect a quality Belgian beer to pour. The head lasted about two minutes and was a very pale white. Duvel smells of citrus and it is actually very nice to watch the bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass to the top, in a nice steady stream. My first sip of this beer was bitter and had no lingering flavor. My second sip reminded me that I enjoy deep dark and flavorful beers because each sip is a delight... however I like a nice light beer for my third or fourth or fifth beer. There is a time and a place for every type of beer, I think the best time and place for Duvel would be a nice hot summer day, one where you can't handle something heavy, but you still would like to sit on the patio and have a beer with your pipe or cigarette.

I purchased this bottle of Duvel at my local Whole Foods for $8.49 on sale this afternoon. I personally would purchase a nice Hefeweizen instead of this beer on a nice hot summer day, but if I was in the mood for something different and still VERY light, I might consider a Duvel. This beer has a surprisingly high alcohol content for its color and body, 8.5% ABV. The Duvel website is also a surprise, its contemporary design and flash intro would normally be seen on a clothing website or a band website... check it out if you are interested: http://www.duvel.be/#/us/en/the_beer

I forgot to give a star rating for this beer... I give this beer 3/5 stars, as it is light, but has a very high alcohol content -- so it packs a punch.